A Myanmar judge on Friday freed on bail three journalists from the country’s largest private newspaper detained on incitement charges after publishing an article that raised questions over government spending.
Eleven Media’s chief reporter, Phyo Wai Win, and two editors, Kyaw Zaw Lin and Nayi Min, were arrested on Oct. 10 following a complaint by the regional government in
the commercial capital of Yangon. Their detention, in Insein prison on the outskirts of the city, marked the latest blow to press freedom in the country, where dozens of journalists have been prosecuted in recent months. “As a reporter, I wrote my articles based on true information,” said Phyo Wai Win, as he walked free from the crowded courtroom in central Yangon’s Tamwe township on Friday. The next hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 9. Explaining her decision to grant bail, judge Tin War War Thein told the court the journalists did not pose a flight risk. “The punishment for the section is not a life sentence but two years maximum, and the accused are working at a journal based in Tamwe township, so they have no reason to run away,” she said. The trio are facing charges under Section 505 (b) of the country’s colonial-era penal code, which prohibits publishing information that may “cause fear or alarm”, that could cause someone to commit an offense, or disrupt “public tranquility”.
